Charles Constantine is a Brooklyn-based designer who has a Bachelor’s degree in sculpture and a Master’s degree in Industrial Design at Pratt Institute. He has an interest in the American funeral ritual, and a passion for bringing awareness to the green funeral movement. This has sparked an ongoing project called “Life Goes On Until it Doesn’t.”
Aero Lounge
The Aero Lounge for Tides Outdoor Furniture is folded out of a single 4 ‘x 8’ sheet of aluminum, which minimizes labor, while ensuring minimum variance between finished pieces. The frame of the chair easily nests inside itself, enabling the manufacturer to keep high volumes in stock prior to assembly. The chair is available through Tides, and comes in bone white, and pewter powder coats.
Christopher Chair
The Christopher Chair for Voos is part of the collection “A Family Affair” which includes an indoor chair made from maple, a “mud room” bench and, Christopher, the patio piece. The design details of the chair are function first. The HDPE that makes up the back rest acts like a leaf spring on an automobile, and conforms to the user. The gradual slope of the seat pan allow for water to drain down and out the back of the chair. The matte grey finish is offset by small color accents. The welds were intentionally left as is to give the chair a handmade quality. Christopher chair is stackable, and 100% recyclable, as it is made from aluminum, and repurposed HDPE.
The goal was to produce a strong, minimal, outdoor chair that doesn’t conform to the usual aesthetic of outdoor furnishings. It is easy to make, and is composed of two of the most abundant and recyclable materials; aluminum and HDPE.
Memento Coffin Table
“I want to put a coffin in your living room,” Charles says. “As a culture we have pushed the idea of death to the fringes of our society; out of sight, out of mind.”
This table/coffin seeks to dissolve this illusion, while fostering an understanding of the most fundamental truth. The coffin is made of pine and treated with a soap finish. The open bottom and sides, which symbolize the decay of physical matter, allows for quicker integration of the body into the soil. The body is placed in a fetal position, which allows for the dead to be buried facing the east, toward the sun, a common symbol of rebirth.
